John Marks, Centre for Policy Studies, June 2000
John Marks is a British education expert who thinks heterodox thoughts and says irreverent things when warranted. In this 46-page study for the London-based Centre for Policy Studies (published in June 2000), he probes why the United Kingdom has recently experienced such an explosion (his word) in the number of children said to have special educational needs. (According to his data, the U.K. now classifies 2-3% of its school children as having explicit, serious physical and/or mental disabilities, but almost 20% more as having other sorts of "special educational needs.") His working conclusion: "We have brought this disaster upon ourselves." The reasons are numerous, but they center on what Marks terms the "retreat from traditional teaching practices." He also offers a number of recommendations for rectifying the situation. These center, not surprisingly, on the restoration of more "traditional" practices of organizing schools and teaching children. If you'd like to read it for yourself, it seems you'll have to order (and pay for) a hard copy. (The price is ??7.50.) You might start by e-mailing [email protected] or surfing to http://www.cps.org.uk/sen.htm where you'll find an on-line order form. You could also write to the Centre for Policy Studies, 57 Tufton Street, London SW1P3QL. Or you could phone 020 7222 4488 or fax 020 7222 4388.
